Cigar and cheroot trimming mechanism.



l. E. NORQUEST.

CIGAHAND CHEROOT TRIMMING MECHANISNL APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, |917.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

IIllllllllll TUNITED STAES PATENT OFFIQE.

JOHN E. NORQUEST, OE RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO P.. LORILLARD COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK,

N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CIGAR AND CHEROOT TRIMMING MECHANISM.

Leashes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. S, 1918.

Application filed July 23, 1917. Serial No. 182,284.

To aZZ 107mm 'it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN E. NORQUEST, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cigar and Clieroot rIrin'nning Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

'l`liis invention relates to certain novel and useful improvements in a trimming device, adapted to be employed in connection with cigar and clieroot making machines for. the pui-pose of clipping one or both ends of the product.

ln the present instance, I have by way of illustration, shown and described my inveiition as applicable to the trimming of clieroots where it is desirable to clip both ends of the article, but of course it will be evident that it may be adapted for analogous purposes, as for the trimming of a cigar, where but one end thereof is clipped.

lleretofore, in clieroot machines, the operation of cutting both ends of the chcroot has been accomplished by two pairs of trim innig knives or shears, one pair being spaced from the other a sullicient distance to enable both ends ot the product to be trimmed simultaneously. The individual knife meinbers have each comprised a flat blade of steel, necessarily very thin, because the cutting edge ot' such blade has been formed integral with the body of the latter by concaving one edge of the blade, near the top thereof, and then grinding one wall of the recess, thus formed to a sharp cutting edge. \\'here a plurality of such blades have been used to constitute the cutter mechanism, certain disadvantages have been found to exist. For instance, owing to the thinness of the bodies of the blades, they rapidly wear under the stresses and strains incident t0 the operation of the machine, with the result that frequent read justinent and even replacement lias been necessary. Furthermore, the cutting edges .of these blades quickly wear down, making frequent regrinding and resliarpening necessary, this requiring the removal of the blades from the machine and the consequent stoppage of the latter. It has` also been found dillicult to adjust tliese blades to proper cutting position to clearly cut or ti'iin cheroots of varying sizes and thicknesses, without incurring the loss of time incident to stopping themach'me and adjusting the cutters or bearings of the blades themselves, because as each blade has been formed of a single piece of metal, the cuttingbedges could not be adjusted to proper trimmiiig relation to each other to open and close to the required degree and at the right time without making such adjustment from the mouiitings or bearings of the blades themselves, and the failure to make such proper relative adjustment has frequently resulted in causing mutilation or imperfect cutting of the ends of the cigars or cheroots instead of the clean, even sharp trimming desired.

lVith my invention, however, I have obviated the above-mentioned difficulties and disadvantages by making the cutting sections of the knives independent of the body portions of the blades themselves, and so mounting these cutting sections or knives that they may be adjusted independently of each other so as to enable both ends of the cheroot to be trimmed simultaneously and cleanly without tampering with or changing the bearings or cutters of the knives, when dealing with cheroots of varying thicknesses.

I `urthermore, by my invention, l am enabled to make the shank or' body of each knife of relatively thick metal, thus providing a strong, durable holder in which the relatively thin, sharp knife blade or cutter may be readily inserted and from which it may be easily removed, as for sharpening or replacement. Thus, I avoid the necessity of discarding the complete knife, shank and blade, when substitution is necessary, and I thereby save the loss of time and the consequent expense now commonly incurred in replacing cutting or trimming knives on cheroot or cigar machines.

lVith the above-recited objects, and others of a similar nature in view, my invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts set forth and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a view in side elevation of a trimming mechanism embodying my invention, showing the same as employed for trimming cheroots.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a pair of the knives and showing the cutter blades adjustably and removably mounted therein.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on vthe line 8-3 of Fig. 2.

indicated byA the letter...A. fandcargryingffa .cherootshown yat C.

.Such portion of the .operating ,mechanism .for the knivesas is necessary Ito illustrate, is Yindicated as a vwholeby the :letter B, :and

includes the usual supporting bracketi,

vlnuwhich. isvrrnountedn horizontally disposed, .vertically .sliding shaft ;2,-. .operated through .the arml 3, from` 'any suitable. power .transmission device constituting/a:y partof vthe machine. .This shaft Zis provided=with @the .extension .stu ds 4. at` opposite? ends `.thereof, which Work.thetrimmingknives to open and close the latter as hereinafter described. Inemploy 'two pairs Oftrimmin-,QkniNes as :usual in machinesof Vthis character, .these pairs .being spaced. apart snliciently .to receive and .clip .theends of lthea cherootAs .theknivesfarerall similar in construction .and operation, a description ofone will sufce As will be more readily. understood `with reference. to Figi. 2, eachV knife comprises arelatively. thick, platelike shan-k body portiongipreferably of me.talliavi n,g=..a 4concave section or recess 5,. formed `therein near .the top, the outer face' or .Wall-of such recess 'being beveled as -sh0\vn.-at 6. rlhe innenfa'ce orfwall thereof, or rthataopposite to the bevel,.is undercutor .dove- .tailed :as shown at 7fto receive the removableand adjustable cutter. .or knifesbladeK-B, the side edges .of the..latter being. correspondingly dovetailed .as at QtOztthe-dOV-e- :tail ofthe shank, and the adjacent edgeof .the dovetailed.' securinggib 8. .The .convcaved shearing or. cutting' edge .of theknifc blade. is' indicatedi at. l0, and .this pirateis beveled on: one .side as at ll .tocorrespond with .the adjacent. bevel of vthe (shank. of ,the knife. F urtherrnore,.each shankl D :isfprovided with Aan :elongated sloty 12 for the. ref cettion ofthe adjacent stud 4. of the-operating shaft, and as. will ybe.understood.by reference to l `gs.,l.and. 2, when .the two knives of each cutter are assembled in pperative position, Vthe .slots of. eachy pair'. of knife shankswill entend' at an angle relative to each-other a-ndin lapping. relation. The lowerends .13 of the'sh-anks are formed with bores 14 for the passageof. the lpivots 4l5 and the pairfofpiv-ots .are in :turn pivoted.. :113516 to -rock ion .they framey 1,;a `-Wellknown form ofcoiled springjfor.-gspring Was-her lbeing employed von each pivot .'15, i Thespring washers 17T-care in .thenallllleof prdinary friction" Washers 'and 'by tighten- "lngthe nuts 1S enough friction can be pro- Vlimit l.of their a.; gpWa rd swinging .mOWenient,

like: Vcutting operationvheginsf. as .thereonitinued l a upward .amwem-,eht.y i of .the arm for nod 3. iwillcause ithe-fstfudsv4:. 1Workin g in .the .islotsi .vof i .the .knives to close fsnch kni-.ves .againstfor .in .Isp-ite. olf-1.thetensionory friction action of the Washerszlf?. v-After (the lzendforsendsfof the :cigarxor cherootfhas or .have been cut voffA thesel .frictionrspring washers :17g will a lso- :keepi ithe. :knives1 from opening. onfthe; downward :stroke of :the arm .for no d-13. until \.tshe.:knifv.es :h ave fbeen :brought or dropped back away from the ends. offthe licheroot. or :ci-gar and .1t-hen rt-he opening jop- `era-tion. :of 'thexknifves .-will begin. Because, .as-willfhezunderstoodf the initial .or Afirst part of the :downwardimovement'of vthe rod .orfagrm will tend'ioibgulll-pr drop :thepiv- .ots 15 f.downward.fintocnormal. position, Athis .of:courseibeingfaided lthe actionaofgra-vity, and vafter..:.theppivots lrhaive. resumed Nsuch. dropped lposition :the continued downfvvardflmovement. of .the nod: orv arm 3- .will .cause Lthe .extension-studs 4 :to f-pullfthe knives open againsttkeractionfof. the spring or ffriction washers-i7.. 0f :course lthe kbunch .ca-r- .fieri -Will bring. @the .icheroots vo r cigars r'into -positiontoiberhrimmcd ori cut bytheknives, ias will: .fbe'lunderstood YI-'eferencefto f Fig; .1. t Whenftit @isc-desired.. to2 adjust .one knife blade relative tto. .ithef others', 'it` isf-only .necessaryfto loosenthe;gib.holdinggt-hersamwand .shiftathe' fbgla-de to the..desired-extent,- or. .in someaCases, the1 adjustment 'maytbe madeby simplyitapping .the .hack-:edge of. :the blade. :The knives 'may .--b,e,-. of course, Arcadi-ly removedmnd- .inserted wifthonta aecting :the monntings .v of the.- shanks tor..removingy the ilatter'frornfthe machine.

f While Llueve-herein shown and *described v:one embodiment of inivention; I I wish .jt

lil 0 toibo: understood that Ldo not confine myself u .to all 'the' i .1 precise. Vdetails off construction herein.- -s'et forth, by Way.A of .illustnationyfas modification and vaniation f may .,be .made .Without departing from .the spirit of the.- invention or-.-.exceedingy .thescope-'ofi .the v appended claims.

I iclaim l .A trimming.- Vnec-hanisrnf-v of the cla-ss described, comprising va plurality; of` pai rs/of trimming'. .knives,-each knife.Y .including .4 a yshank or tbody portion @hav-ing a )recess .foianede onerfend lthereof, the- 'mail :of

said recess being beveled and undercut, and a concaved beveled cutting blade seated in the undercut of the wall of the recess with the bevel of said blade conforming to the bevel of the recess wall.

2. A trimming mechanism of the class described comprising two spaced pairs of trimming knives, each knife comprising a relatively thick shank or body portion, and a relativelv thin cutting blade removably and detachably seated in the shank, said blade having a concaved beveled cutting edge, the cutting edges of the blades of each pair of knives being arranged in opposition to each other.

3. In a trimming mechanism for cheroots and the like, the combinatlon with a frame,

Copies of this of two pairs of trimming knives pivotally mounted on pivots on said frame, in spaced relation to each other, each knife comprising a relatively thick slotted shank section, and a relatively thin cutting blade removably and adjustably mounted adjacent the top of the shank section, and means for rocking the pivots of the knives to move the two pairs toward each other and for closing the knives of each pair to clip the ends of the cheroots, said means also acting to open the knives and move the latter away from each other to release the trimmed cheroot.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN E. NORQUEST.

patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

